In Vermont, grouse hunting season starts the last Saturday in September, manure spreading season (yep, it’s a thing) starts on April 1, and maple production season starts whenever the weather decides to cooperate. Across the country, “legislative season” is a combination of all three – legally mandated, fickle, and on occasion, a bit smelly. There are still a handful of state legislatures in session, and some will re-convene during the summer for special issues, however as the hectic part of the legislative year has come to a close, it is time to review the diverse bills we tracked this year so far. Pets, pot, piscis (fish) and pesky changes received our attention over the past six months as we tracked bills in Louisiana, Maine, Maryland and New York.

The American Feed Industry Association’s committees shared their accomplishments from the 2021-22 AFIA fiscal year and outlined their goals for the coming year. Our committee members are critical to our success and we would like to share a few of the highlights and happenings.

Fuel prices. That’s all I have to say to put somebody in a bad mood nowadays. With gasoline prices well over $4 a gallon and diesel prices over $5 a gallon in many areas of the country, there is no question as to why people get upset—especially if they are involved in agriculture. Since many farmers and ranchers rely on diesel fuel to run their operations, the agriculture industry has been taking an extremely hard hit during this period of price inflation.

A few weeks ago, our American Feed Industry Association Board of Directors met with their congressional officials to discuss matters of importance to the animal food industry. For some, it was their first chance to walk the halls of Congress and take part in the political process, but for others, it was a chance to reconnect in person after a while of virtual visits. Hear what they had to say about the issues that are important to them and why members should get involved in federal advocacy.

Have you ever sat down to think about what gene-edited food means to you? What it is, if you would buy it, if you would trust the product itself? To answer questions like these and explore consumers’ preferences related to bioengineered and gene-edited products, Michigan State University assistant professor Dr. Vincenzina Caputo conducted a nationwide survey in September 2019 to 4,487 U.S. shoppers. I recently attended a webinar that discussed the findings of this research.

There is a Ghanian concept, “Sankofa,” which loosely translates to: harnessing the knowledge people gained in the past to create opportunities for the future. I first heard about this phrase during the opening session at last week’s Alltech ONE conference and given the pressures currently facing consumers, farmers, governments, business leaders and society, it couldn’t be more perfectly timed.  

I am excited and humbled to begin my new role as chair of the American Feed Industry Association Board of Directors. It is an honor to work with the staff of this great organization which genuinely cares about the industry, its members and sustainable nutrition for the world.

In 1991, Dr. Mike Hutjens, emeritus professor in the Department of Animal Sciences at the University of Illinois, defined four key factors for evaluating feed additives: Response, Returns, Research and Results (Hutjens, 1991). Dr. Hutjens later added 3 additional Rs for industry professionals to consider: Repeatability, Reliability and Relativity. Feed additives that claim to reduce methane emissions from cattle will emerge as potential tools to mitigate climate change. The pressure to consider their use will be significant. However, we must consider these seven Rs when evaluating the efficacy, economics and safety of feed additives to inhibit enteric methane emissions from cattle without impacting animal performance, farm profitability or consumer acceptance of the technology.